Billings man sentenced to 6 years in prison for possessing a firearm following a felony conviction

BILLINGS – A Billings man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today to 72 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

In March 2025, a federal jury found Joshua David Heafner, 40, guilty of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on March 14, 2023, around 8:00 p.m., the Billings Police Department received a report of a hit and run at the intersection of North 31^st Street and 6^th Avenue North. Officers observed an unoccupied Volkswagen Passat in the middle of the intersection and witnesses described a man who resembled Heafner fleeing the scene on foot after the accident. Inside the car, officers saw a black pistol, some rounds of ammunition, and a methadone bottle with Heafner’s name on it. Heafner, who had outstanding arrest warrants at the time, was located near his residence, where he ran from the police before eventually being detained. Further investigation of the Passat revealed Heafner’s fingerprints in multiple locations on the driver’s side and on a cell phone found on the front driver’s side floorboard. Heafner was convicted of assault on a peace officer, robbery, and assault with a weapon, all felonies, in Billings in September 2013.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Yerger and Julie Patten prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Billings Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

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